Space News from SpaceDaily.com
CORRECTED: First artwork by humanoid robot sells for over $1.0 million
London, Nov 8 (AFP) Nov 08, 2024
A portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing became the first artwork by a humanoid robot to be sold at auction, fetching more than $1.0 million on Thursday.

The 2.2-metre (7.5-foot) portrait "A.I. God" by "Ai-Da", the world's first ultra-realistic robot artist, went for $1,084,800, smashing pre-sale expectations of $180,000 at auction house Sotheby's Digital Art Sale.

"Today's record-breaking sale price for the first artwork by a humanoid robot artist to go up for auction marks a moment in the history of modern and contemporary art and reflects the growing intersection between A.I. technology and the global art market," said the auction house.

Ai-Da Robot, which uses AI to speak, said: "The key value of my work is its capacity to serve as a catalyst for dialogue about emerging technologies."

Ai-Da added that a "portrait of pioneer Alan Turing invites viewers to reflect on the god-like nature of AI and computing while considering the ethical and societal implications of these advancements."

The ultra-realistic robot, one of the most advanced in the world, is designed to resemble a human woman with a face, large eyes and a brown wig.

Ai-Da is named after Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer and was devised by Aidan Meller, a specialist in modern and contemporary art.

"The greatest artists in history grappled with their period of time, and both celebrated and questioned society's shifts," said Meller.

"Ai-Da Robot as technology, is the perfect artist today to discuss the current developments with technology and its unfolding legacy," he added.

Ai-Da generates ideas through conversations with members of the studio and suggested creating an image of Turing during a discussion about "A.I. for good".

The robot was then asked what style, colour, content, tone and texture to use, before using cameras in its eyes to look at a picture of Turing and create the painting.

Meller led the team that created Ai-Da with artificial intelligence specialists at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham in England.

Turing, who made his name as a World War II codebreaker, mathematician and early computer scientist, had raised concerns about the use of AI in the 1950s, he added.

The artwork's "muted tones and broken facial planes" seemingly suggested "the struggles Turing warned we will face when it comes to managing AI", he said.

Ai-Da's works were "ethereal and haunting" and "continue to question where the power of AI will take us, and the global race to harness its power", he added.

jwp/phz/gil

SOTHEBY'S


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Webb highlights spiral arms of galaxy NGC 2090 in infrared detail
CubeSatGPT enables communication with orbiting satellites for education and research
Eseye and Sateliot partner for global IoT across satellite and terrestrial networks

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Plastic pollution talks fail to reach landmark deal; Greenpeace activists detained over plastic tanker protest
Norway suspends deep-sea mining projects: govt allies
A pathway to advanced quantum devices with zinc oxide quantum dots

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Taiwan's Lai arrives in Marshall Islands, as China fumes
US announces new $725 mn package for Ukraine including more mines
Israel strkes Hezbollah in first attack since truce; Israeli-American IDF hostage dead in Gaza

24/7 News Coverage
Genetic clues reveal evolving chimpanzee tool use cultures
US lawmakers back Covid Chinese lab leak theory after two-year probe
Desertification talks open in Saudi Arabia as experts fire warning


All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.